The Valley Transportation Authority is moving ahead with plans for the El Camino Real Bus Rapid Transit Project with four community meetings this month.

The project is designed to increase ridership by reducing wait times for buses. Once in operation, a bus will come by each of the stops every 10 minutes during weekdays, the VTA says.

The improvements will affect 17.4 miles of El Camino Real from the Palo Alto Transit Center to HP Pavilion, with two stops planned for the stretch of The Alameda in San Jose.

The buses will move more quickly because they remain in traffic when stopping, rather than pulling over to the side of the street into a bus stop to pick up and let off passengers. At the stops, existing parking spaces will be eliminated and the sidewalk area built out to the bus stop.

For part of the route, VTA wants general purpose lanes in each direction converted to bus-only lanes and not open for automobile use.

The VTA wants to complete the project by July 2018.

The first meetings will be on Feb. 21 at the Santa Clara City Council Chamber, 1500 Warburton Ave., Santa Clara, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. and again from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The second meetings will be on Feb. 28 at the same times in the Mountain View City Council Chamber, 500 Castro St., second floor, Mountain View.